Singer Hancock rambles on 'A-Town Blues'

"Well I'm a man of the road/And the highway is my home," Wayne "The Train" Hancock announces on "Man of the Road."

Sure enough, the Texan's new album is informed by the urge to ramble.

Hancock doesn't head out in new directions this time, and he seems close to wearing some ruts into his routes. In the meantime, though, whether he's out there with no cares ("Man of the Road"), feeling the tug of home ("A-Town Blues"), or looking to escape heartache ("Life's Lonesome Road"), the trip's worthwhile.

With his piercing, nasal twang, he still sounds like a lost heir of Hank Williams, albeit one with a modern-day intensity. The same goes for the music: When he's not crooning, with ragged charm, a couple of swaying ballads, Hancock again delivers lean honky-tonk that exhibits a drive, even without drums.

 Knight-Ridder

"Songs for Any Taste," by Mel Torme. Bethlehem

Mel Torme has been dead more than two years, but this reissued live album from 1959 reminds anyone within earshot of his glittering talents.

Torme pretends to speak French. He imitates Maurice Chevalier, invokes Elvis, and intentionally sings out of tune. And that's mostly before he lays out his command of 10 standards. This set, featuring Mel Lewis on drums and pianist-musical director Marty Paich, swings through ditties from "Autumn Leaves" to "Taking a Chance on Love."

 Knight-Ridder

"Demolition," by Judas Priest. Atlantic

The new movie "Rock Star" loosely relates the story of heavy metal band Judas Priest and how it came to find its replacement singer.

"Demolition" is the second Priest CD to feature that singer, Tim "Ripper" Owens on lead vocals, and he fronts the band like a man born to the job. His band members also refrain, for the most part, from trying anything too trendy.

Still, "Demolition" is no "British Steel" or "Screaming for Vengeance" (both early '80s albums featuring original screamer Rob Halford and recently reissued in remastered and expanded form on Columbia/Legacy, and worth buying). It's too long by at least four tracks. The lyrics are silly. And it lacks an anthem as memorable as "Breaking the Law," "Living After Midnight" or "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

But in a time of deathly dull sound-alike metal bands, at least Judas Priest still makes a hellish noise made for banging heads.